


My Brother's Keeper

by Yastach



Category: Hellsing, Hellsing Ultimate
Genre: Alucard - Freeform, Hellsing Ultimate - Freeform, Jan Valentine - Freeform, Lime, Luke Valentine - Freeform, M/M, hellsing - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-06-29 13:14:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19830976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yastach/pseuds/Yastach
Summary: This story goes into the deeper history of the two more interesting villains in the Hellsing universe. During this chapter, it's revealed that Jan and Luke are more than just brothers and tells how they first met and became part of the Millennium organization. The entire story is told from Luke Valentine's point of view.





	1. Beginning of the End

**Author's Note:**

> This is a lime.

Jan could not stop talking as we walked along down the path to the front gates of Hellsing Manor. I suppressed a groan of annoyance as he prattled on about blow jobs and casual murder. Most people would find his vapid, curse-laden chatter unbearable, but I had grown used to it. I knew that he was only going on like this because he was nervous over our latest assignment.

I understood my brother’s agitation. Even I felt a knot of anxiety in my stomach over what would happen once we breached the gates. Even though the Major had spoke of it as a great honor to lead the attack on the Hellsing Manor, it was clearly a suicide mission. Not only would my brother and I be facing off against the finest vampire hunters in the world, but we would also have to battle their ultimate weapon.

It was no secret that Alucard was death incarnate. No one had ever challenged the dark lord and lived to tell about it. He was lethal perfection. Even with our extensive body modifications, my brother and I paled in comparison to a true creature of the night.

Despite the battalion of ghouls at our command, I knew that we would not emerge from this mission unscathed. We would go out in a blaze of blood and glory for a war that we barely understood. I just prayed that in the end, death would come quickly.

I stopped walking, “Are you truly ready for this, brother?”

Jan walked a few feet before he realized I had stopped walking. He turned his crooked smile upon me, “Fuck yeah, I was born ready. I’m going to make that Hellsing bitch regret that she was ever born.”

“Please just stick with the plan and don’t do anything stupid.” I cautioned, “I mean it.”

“When have I EVER done anything stupid?” He snorted.

I rolled my eyes, “Do you want me to start with last week, or something more recent?”

“Ouch, bro. You bringing out the nails tonight!” He laughed wildly, “Fine I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”

“Good. This is already going to be a rough night… the last thing we need is chaos within our ranks.” I began to walk again.

“Luke… wait.”

The sudden tremble in Jan’s voice startled me, “What is it?”

“We ain’t gonna win this are we?”

I hated to see such distress on his face as he waited for my answer. I wanted to assure him that everything would be fine, but I couldn’t bring myself to lie to him. It wouldn’t have been fair to let him think that we had a chance in hell of surviving this night. 

I removed my glasses and rubbed my eyes, “What do you want me to say, Jan? You know I’m not good with pep talks.”

“I don’t want a fucking pep talk.” He frowned, “I literally just want to know if you think we can win against Alucard.”

“Why are you asking this now? You seemed fine back at headquarters.”

“How the fuck was I supposed to act in front of the Major?! I couldn’t very well tell him to fuck off when he assigned us this!” He snarled, “God damn it, Luke! What the fuck.”

I looked around cautiously. I knew that we were probably being observed. Despite fitting Jan and I with monitoring implants, the Major always sent someone to make sure that orders were followed, “Jan, this isn’t the time for this… pull yourself together.”

“I just thought we had more time.” He replied in a small voice, “I… I don’t want to die.”

I pulled Jan close and hugged him tightly, “Neither do I, brother.”

Jan eagerly returned my embrace and rested his head on my shoulder. He sighed deeply as his anxiety faded away in my arms. It pained me that these small intimate moments had become rare between us. If he had still been human, I was certain he would have been on the verge of tears, but like me, his tear ducts had dried up long ago. 

I stroked his back gently, “It will all be over soon. Let’s just get this over with, okay brother?”

“Why would the Major do this to us?!” His voice was muffled by my shoulder, “We’ve been nothing but loyal!”

“I don’t know.”

“Did we piss him off? Did I piss him off?” His golden eyes were frantic as he pushed away from me, “I don’t understand, Luke.”

“I know.” I said plainly.

“How can you be so fucking calm about this, Luke?!” He yelled, “Aren’t you as pissed off as I am?”

“Yes… but there’s nothing to be done about it now.” I continued, “At least he let us do this mission together. I might be wrong… we might actually defeat Alucard.”

Jan rolled his eyes, “This isn’t a glass half full kind of bullshit.”

I couldn’t help but smile at Jan’s butchered colloquialism, “It’s not ‘glass half full bullshit’. I’m serious. Anything can happen.”

“Whatever. I still think this entire assignment is bullshit.” My brother frowned and pulled his knitted cap low on his forehead. He avoided eye contact as he turned and began walking again, “Come on, let’s go try to fuck this Alucard guy up.”

As I followed Jan, I knew the countdown to our doom had begun. I tried to think of happier times when Jan and I were young and without a care in the world. He had always been a feral creature with all of the eloquence and menace of a wild beast even as a child, but there was also a hope for a better life behind those pale eyes. I knew I had failed him in the most bitter sense of the word.

As you probably deduced from first glance, we are not brothers by blood. He the dusky, foul-mouthed, wildcard with eyes of fire, and I the porcelain skinned, false aristocrat with the long golden hair. Despite our vast differences, from the moment we met, I knew that ours was a bond not to be broken even in death. 

I didn’t come from a traditional English upbringing. My mother died when I was very young, leaving me a ward of the state. It was an absolutely miserable experience. My earliest memories were of being shuffled from one orphanage to another. After years of being ignored and mentally abused in the system, I had become a bitter shell of the child I once was. Beneath my innocent, tow-headed appearance, I had festered into a vicious troublesome thing. I lost count of how many times I was returned to the orphanage with the label of “unable to adapt”.

As I began to age out of the system, the other children learned to fear my temper and avoided crossing me. Even the adults went out of their way to avoid the bespectacled boy with the long blond hair. Even if they couldn’t prove it, they knew that any bit of violence on the playground could probably be traced back to me.

The day Jan arrived at the orphanage was like any other. I wouldn’t have even noticed him if it wasn’t for the row that began upon his arrival. I was in my room reading a book when I heard the shouting from the courtyard. Annoyed by the sudden disturbance, I peered from my window to see what was going on.

I was surprised to see a scraggly, brown lad that couldn’t have been more than thirteen years old, surrounded by jeering children. The poor beleaguered creature’s clothes were in tatters and he looked like he hadn’t had a decent meal in a very long time. He bared his teeth in defiance at the screaming mob. 

I knew immediately what had drawn the ire of the other children. His dark skin and mop of unruly black hair was unique amongst the homogenous population of the orphanage. It wasn’t that they were inherently racist, they had just never been exposed to someone who looked so differently than they did.

Suddenly one of the heathen children hurled a rock at the boy, striking him in the forehead. It bled freely as he fell to the ground. I was astonished that the boy’s pathetic wails hadn’t alerted any of the adults to his plight. To this day I wondered if they were ignoring him on purpose. 

I ran as fast as I could down the corridor to the courtyard. It was clear from the intensity of the chanting, that if someone didn’t come to his aid immediately, they would most likely stomp him to death. There was murder on my face when I burst into the courtyard, and the tiny savages quickly abandoned their prey.

In a moment of uncharacteristic tenderness, I kneeled next to the sobbing child. Up close, he looked even younger than I had estimated. After assuring him that he was safe, I helped him to his feet and led him inside the main building.

My room was the only private quarters in the orphanage. This was mostly because anyone who had the misfortune to room with me would meet with ‘accidents’ as soon as they became a nuisance. I was left to my own devices and was even permitted to cook my own food. I knew the staff were merely counting the days till they could tell me I was no longer welcomed within their walls. I had just turned fifteen, I had one year left before I’d be declared an adult.

The boy was naturally wary of me and sat quietly as I cleaned the wound on his forehead. I understood his distrust. After all a group of children that looked very much like me had just tried to kill him. His pale brown eyes were full of distrust as I tried to make small talk with him. It took quite a bit of coaxing for him to even reveal his name.

It was never confirmed, but the rumor was that his parents had been deported back to whatever country they had fled from. Why they hadn’t taken their son with them remained a mystery. This was actually the fourth orphanage that young Jan had been moved to in as many years. Like me, he was something of a troublemaker. After only a few days in his company, I quickly discovered that my young charge had as much propensity for violence as I did. The only reason why he hadn’t utterly destroyed the children in the courtyard was that there were too many of them to fight at once.

Jan was a psychopath in the purest form of the word. Over the course of several months, he systematically took vengeance upon the small group that dared to attack him when he first arrived at the orphanage. I remember stumbling upon the remains of one of his hapless victims one night as I ventured to the kitchen. No one ever suspected that the small, shy boy that stayed to the shadows was responsible for such heinous acts. I only knew because I helped him wash the blood from his clothes. No matter how depraved his actions, I refused to abandon him. I needed him in my life as much as he needed me.

On the morning of my sixteenth birthday, I was expelled from the orphanage. They did so with such zeal that I knew that no amount of pleading would grant me a further stay. I found myself woefully unprepared. They allowed me to take the few belongings that I could carry, but they basically threw me out with just the clothing upon my back. 

By this time, Jan and I were practically inseparable. He was inconsolable upon learning I was being ousted from the orphanage. He loudly expressed that if I was no longer welcome, he was leaving as well. By that time they had grown wise to Jan’s dangerous antics and were extremely happy to see him go. They literally pushed him out the door after me. 

We made quite the odd pair as we began our new lives on the filthy streets of London. We had no money or skills, so I used my body as currency to acquire food and shelter. There were many a night I returned to my brother bloodied and beaten for the sake of a few pounds. I’m not proud of the disgraceful things I did to support us during those early days, but it was a matter of survival. I did everything I could to shield Jan from the darkness that was our new lives.

When Jan turned sixteen, I gifted him my last name. It was my way of cementing our relationship as true brothers. He was so enthralled that he immediately insisted that we use what little money we had to get matching tattoos of our shared last name. I was never much for body art, but his enthusiasm was contagious. I still remember how he unabashedly stripped off his shirt to reveal the word ‘Valentine’ tattooed in bold, gothic letters across his spindly back. My matching tattoo was more conservative and was constrained to my shoulder.

Jan had overcome so much in his short life, I couldn’t help but be proud of the young man that he had become. His dark hair had grown shaggy and hung loosely about his shoulders and his once virgin face now boasted several gold piercings that I thought it suited him quite well.

By the time I was in my mid twenties, Jan had fully matured into a vicious creature with a terrible reputation for violence for those who crossed him. He had taken to wearing full body tracksuits and white gloves so that only his face was uncovered. It seemed that almost overnight Jan had managed to amass a criminal empire that spanned the entire east end of London. 

Between the two of us, we controlled the drugs, the women and every other illegal activity in the city. The more power my brother amassed on the street, the less he seemed to need my help. He had decided that it was his turn to take care of me. It was also around this time Jan made it clear he wanted more from me than just brotherly affection. 

I had always found it unusual that Jan never seemed to be interested in the girls who practically threw themselves at his feet. My brother was quite the fetching lad and always had his pick of the finest that mother nature had to offer. He would flirt and occasionally engage in the typical bored rutting with the endless throng of women, but it was never anything serious. I was not one to judge since I had yet to find “the one” to settle down with either.

One night when I came home, I was surprised to see that Jan had planned an elaborate feast for us. There were candles, soft music playing in the background and a bottle of obscenely expensive champagne sitting in an ice bucket on the table. 

I knew that Jan must have had help with the lavish spread, he was a simple creature and elegance wasn’t exactly his specialty. As much as I loved him, my brother could barely spell champagne, much less pick out one of the quality that sat before us. He was even dressed nicer than usual. His long hair had been combed and pulled back into a loose ponytail and he was wearing a black, button down shirt instead of one of his dreadful tracksuits.

He pulled the chair out for me to sit down and then sat on the opposite side of the table. As he unfolded his napkin, I took a sip from my water glass.

“So what is the occasion, dear brother? My birthday isn’t until next week.” I said with a curious smile, “Or is this an early birthday gift?”

He suddenly seemed nervous, “No it’s not that. I just… um… wanted to talk to you about something.”

“I’m listening.”

Jan was never a very eloquent speaker and often when he became frustrated with his words, it would just devolve into a string of obscenities. Most people would find such an obvious character flaw off putting, but I found it somewhat endearing. He stared down at his plate as if looking for inspiration.

“This isn’t about another dead hooker is it?” I asked with a tinge of annoyance, “I told you it’s getting harder to hide the bodies.”

“Damn it Luke, it’s not about a dead hooker.” He frowned, “This is about our relationship.”

“…what about our relationship?”

Again he hesitated, “I’ve been thinking… maybe… we can take it further, you know? Like more than just brothers.”

I raised an eyebrow, “I’m afraid I have no clue what you are getting at.”

“Damn it… are you really going to make me have to spell it out? I want to…” He looked down at his untouched plate, “I want to be with you. Like REALLY be with you. I fucking love you, Luke.”

I nearly dropped my glass. Until that moment I’d never suspected that Jan felt that way about me. Even though he was clearly an adult now, to me he would always be that little boy I saved from a mob in the orphanage. I was unsure how to respond. As I sat in shocked silence before him, Jan’s face was taut with fear. 

“Please say something.” He pleaded, “Anything.”

The look in his pale brown eyes was gut wrenching. I wasn’t sure how to tell him that I found it next to impossible to think of him as anything but my brother. Even if we weren’t related by blood, it still seemed uncomfortably taboo to even think of such a thing.

“…I shouldn’t have brought it up. I feel so fucking stupid…” He snarled and stood, “Just forget it.”

I finally found my voice, “Jan, sit down… let’s finish dinner and then we can talk about this.”

He remained standing. I could tell he was on the verge of running out of the room. In the mood he was in, I knew if I let him leave I wouldn’t see him for a few days.

“Please?” I said and motioned to his chair.

He eyed me warily before returning to his seat. As he absently picked at his food, I spoke once more.

“So… who did you get to cater? This food is amazing.”

“Really, Luke?” Jan huffed.

I cleared my throat, “I’m just making small talk.”

“Can I please leave? I’m actually not hungry anymore.”

“And where would you go?” I asked, “We still live together, you’d have to come back eventually.”

“Yeah, that’s what makes this so fucking awkward.” He said and slumped in his chair.

I sighed, “Jan, relax. I’m actually really glad you finally told me how you feel.”

“Just let it drop.” He looked away, “It was stupid for me to bring it up.”

It was my turn to hesitate. As we sat alone at the table I was conflicted about what to say next. I did love him, but it wasn’t the kind of love he wanted from me. Jan began to fiddle with his lip piercing. It was a nervous habit that I knew signaled that he wanted to leave the conversation.

I finally broke the silence, “You know I love you, Jan. I always will.”

“JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP, LUKE!” He screamed and smacked his completely full plate off the table, “I DON’T NEED YOUR CONDESENDING BULLSHIT RIGHT NOW!”

I eyed the mess on the floor. The gravy was already starting to leave a stain on the rug, “That… was unnecessary.”

“WAS IT?” Jan snarled, “FUCK YOU AND YOUR PERSIAN RUG, LUKE.” He then threw his chair to the floor and began to stomp off, “I should just have kept my stupid FUCKING mouth shut! I’m so FUCKING stupid!”

“Jan, stop!” I commanded.

He froze and slowly turned to look at me. His hair had come undone in his fury and now hung loosely over his shoulders, “Damn it, Luke… you’re just so perfect and fucking beautiful… you don’ t know how hard this is for me.”

I walked over to where he was standing and moved some of the hair out of his face with my finger, “You know… It’s not like we’re actually brothers.”

“Yeah so?”

I dusted some lint off of his shoulder, “I’m saying, let’s give it a try.”

Before Jan could say anything else, I leaned in and kissed him. His cracked lips tasted like orange soda and day old cigarettes. He pulled me closer, extending the kiss. I could have stayed in that moment forever wrapped in his strong arms.

“What changed your mind?” He asked as he ran his fingers through my long hair.

I took off my glasses and put them in my pocket, “You’re kind of cute when you’re pissed off.”

“That’s a first.”

“So what do you want to do now?”

“Depends.” He smiled, “Can I still call you brother?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

As he kissed me for the second time, I realized why I had never found anyone who understood me the way Jan could. Deep down, I had always known that he was my soul mate. To take our bond to the next level was inevitable. Taboo or not, I felt no regrets.

We decided that night to not take our relationship public. Since we had always presented ourselves as brothers, it seemed it would be more trouble than it was worth to overcome the stigma that came with perceived incest. There were those in our organization that suspected more than a fraternal familiarity between the two of us, but Jan usually dispelled all doubts with an impromptu, drunken, hooker-laden binges.

I found myself not wishing to indulge in relationships outside of what I had with Jan. It was just unnecessary. My brother was all I needed.


	2. The Unknown Variable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter goes into how Jan and Luke became involved in Millennium.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a lime.

Our involvement in Millennium was unplanned to say the least. From everything I could find, they seemed to be a German based pharmaceutical company that decided to diversify sometime around the 1940s. When they approached us regarding setting up a business relationship, I was unsure what we could possibly offer them. After all Jan and I didn’t exactly specialize in legal drug trafficking.

Since they were such an old company, records were spotty and there was very little to indicate Millennium's true purpose other than to ‘Make the world a better place’. I found it quite interesting that this was their actual slogan as well. If I knew then what I know now about their true intentions, or how devastating it would eventually be to my relationship to Jan, I would have never agreed to work with them at all.

When I was first approached by a Millennium representative, I sensed nothing amiss. Their objective was pretty straight-forward, they needed volunteers for their research program but were having difficulty recruiting. They knew that Jan and I had men to spare in our own organization and were willing to pay us a handsome fee for their use.

The man known as Lucas slid a card across the table towards me. It was a very impressive looking card, heavy paper stock with the word Millennium stamped upon it in silver foil. Beneath the simple sans font, was an eagle clutching a small shield. Upon closer inspection I could see a tiny Swastika emblazoned upon the sheild.

I frowned, “Pardon… but is that a Swastika?”

“It’s just an old Indian symbol.” The pale man assured, “Our founder is fond of the rich history behind it.”

I studied the man before me. With his clear blue eyes and platinum blond hair, he actually looked more Germanic than I did. If there was any Indian blood in him it was extremely far removed.

"I think you should understand my concern.” I grimaced, “I would hate for people to think I’d associate with Nazis.”

“Oh yes, I completely understand... but I assure you it's not what it seems.” He nodded emphatically, “I’ll bring this up to our founder. I’m afraid he’s somewhat behind the times on symbology.”

I sat the card back on the table, “So exactly how many men did you need from us? And how soon?”

“As many as you can spare. The project is currently on hold due to lack of volunteers so the sooner you can provide us with your men, the better.”

My brother was not able to attend the meeting but I knew he could probably gather the men needed faster than I could. I dialed him on my cell as Lucas waited, “Give me a second, my brother can give me an estimate on how long it will take.”

After a few rings, Jan answered with his usual enthusiasm, “Yoooo, bro. What’s going on?”

“How many spare men do we have right now? I’m looking for non-essential personnel.” I replied.

“Hmn, maybe twenty or thirty. They’re young and don’t know the ropes yet.” He said, “What's up, you need em'?”

“Yeah. How quickly can you gather them for a special assignment? Our new business partners are interested in paying us to use their services for a short while.”

“Eh, give me an hour or two. Just text me the address.” Jan said, “Do I wanna know what they’ll be doin?”

“Nothing terrible, they’ll be participating in a study as far as I can tell.”

"Study?" He snorted, “What kind of study?”

I rolled my eyes. I could also tell that the man across the table was also losing patience, “I’ll text you the address. I’ll talk to you later, brother.”

“Yeah, no prob, bro.” He said and hung up.

I put my phone back into my pocket, “He said between twenty to thirty men. Two hours. I just need the address.”

“Splendid.” Lucas purred, “Now about your compensation, would you like to do a bank transfer or cash? Or perhaps one of our other services would interest you?”

“Depends on what these other services are.” I replied, “We agreed to 100k per volunteer, would it be in equal value to that?”

“How would you like to live forever, Mr. Valentine?”

I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of his question, “Is that what you are bargaining with now? Immortality?”

“Yes.”

“Well then” I cleared my throat, “Please… by all means, do tell me how you plan to make me immortal.”

The pale man frowned. He obviously didn’t appreciate my sarcastic tone, “I am being serious, Mr. Valentine. We have unlocked the secret of immortality. If you wish, you can remain young and beautiful forever.”

I leaned back in my chair and crossed my legs. This conversation was becoming more amusing by the second, “And do you just offer this to all of your clients in lieu of payment?”

“Mr. Valentine, I was granted explicit permission to offer this to you.” The expression on his face was grave, “If you wish to just forego this offer and take the money instead, we are happy to oblige.”

“No I’m actually highly interested… I’m just dubious that you’d be able to carry through with this new offer.” I said, “I would think the secret to immortality would net your company millions, why just offer it to a select few?”

“Our founder is hand picking those he thinks worthy. From your appearance, he believes you’d make the perfect immortal.” 

“And what of my brother?” I mused, “Is he worthy in the eyes of your founder as well?”

Lucas suddenly looked very uncomfortable, “The offer is for you alone I’m afraid.”

“Then I must decline. My brother and I are a package deal.” I said, “You can send us the money via bank transfer.”

He frowned, “Are you really saying you’d choose your brother over immortality?”

“He’s my brother.” I said bluntly, “You obviously do not have siblings.”

“From what we’ve gathered… you two aren’t related in any way.” The frustration was clear in his tone, “We are actually unsure why you even claim the filial bond...”

“It’s really not all that complex. Family does not have to be blood related.” I said with a frown, "That being said, if Jan’s not included in your offer, I'm not interested."

The man heaved a huge sigh, “Very well, I need to make a phone call. Pardon me for a moment.”

I watched as Lucas walked a good distance away to make sure that he was out of earshot before he made the call. I didn’t understand exactly what was going on but I was becoming tired of entertaining such nonsense. My phone buzzed and I saw it was a text from Jan. He wanted to know what was going on.

I texted: “I think I’m going to have a very entertaining story to tell you tonight.”

Jan texted back: “LOL. Can’t wait, bro.”

Before I could text again, Lucas returned to the table. He looked annoyed, “Our founder has agreed to extend the offer to your brother. Do we have a deal?”

I put my phone back in my pocket, “So what exactly would becoming immortal entail? Do we have to drink some sort of special potion?”

“I’m afraid I’m not fully qualified to go over those details.” He said, “Are you interested, or not?”

“If we change our minds after further debriefing, can I have the original deal?”

“Certainly.”

I picked up the card again and flipped it over. There was no number or method of contact listed anywhere, “Erm… and how do we contact you? I wish to go over this with my brother before I completely commit to anything.”

"Fine, if you agree to participate..." He took the card from my hand and scrawled an address on it, “Come to this address, tomorrow. The Major usually sees new guests around noon. You can also text this address to your brother for the location to send the men to.”

I nodded, “Sounds good.”

He stood, “Now, I must be on my way, I have other clients to see.”

As I watched him go, I had to admit I was very intrigued exactly what would happen upon the morrow when we met the founder of Millennium.

When I got home that night, Jan immediately grilled me for information about our newest associates. He actually found the idea of immortality extremely exciting. I decided not to disclose that they hadn’t considered him worthy of their offer until I intervened.

As Jan paced about the living room in a stained, sleeveless t-shirt and black boxers he ran his hand through his hair in excitement, “Fuck man, I never thought about living forever! Hell, I never thought I’d live this long! So you're sayin’ we’d never age and shit?”

I sighed from my spot on the couch, “He said young and beautiful forever.”

“Ooh la la.” He mocked and ruffled my hair, “Sounds like someone thought my brother is pretty.”

I swatted his hand away and smoothed my hair back into place “Anyway… I still think it may be a load of bunk. It doesn’t make any sense to just sit on this kind of technology.” 

“Yeah same, hey lemme see that card again.” He flopped onto the couch next to me, “My boys are already on route, but I wanna see something.”

I handed Jan the card, “Can you even imagine what people would pay to be immortal? It makes my head hurt to even fathom such a large number.” 

Jan seemed distracted as he squinted at the emblem at the bottom, “…um, bro.”

“It’s an ‘Indian’ swastika.” I said with air quotes.

He frowned, “Nah that shit is Nazi as fuck.”

“He swore it wasn’t though. Trust me... I had the same reaction. ” I got a whiff of spicy body odor as my brother slid closer to me, “…Jan, can you not right now? You’re quite gross.”

“Oh sorry about that." He laughed and dramatically sniffed his armpit, "I guess I didn’t have time to shower off with all my running around today.” 

“I really hope you weren’t conducting business with important clients smelling like this.”

He leered and leaned closer. “I thought it turned you on when I’m a little grungy.” 

I put my finger on his chest and pushed him back, “Grungy yes, stinky no. Please go bathe.” 

“Wanna join me?” He bit his lip, “You look like you could do with a little… distraction.”

“As enticing as that sounds… I have to make these calls, Jan.” I obliged him with a small smile, “Business before pleasure and all.” 

He stood with a sigh, “Your loss… but If you change your mind, you know where I’ll be.”

As he walked off, I began to dial the first of many calls that night. By the time I was finally finished, Jan had already turned in for the night. I found Jan fast asleep on our king sized bed. He resembled a lion at rest, face down in his pillow with the comforter flung haphazardly across his heavily tattooed back. 

Despite his truculent personality, Jan was actually extremely self-conscious about his body. His second skin of ink was a comfort to him since it served to cover the massive amount of scarring on his skin. Jan never told me how he got his scars. It was just too painful of a memory. 

My brother’s tattooed skin was a work of art. The thick, tribal lines were striking against the flawed canvas of Jan’s brown flesh. I lost count of the times I would amuse myself by gently tracing my fingers along the intricate patterns that adorned the majority of his body. 

Jan was also extremely fond of body piercing. He often tried to encourage me to join in on his body modification journey, but I was satisfied with the single tattoo on my shoulder. His piercings were almost as legion as his tattoos and the majority of these remained hidden beneath his many layers of clothing.

I tried not to wake him as I quietly turned off the light and slid into bed. As I drifted off to the soft rumble of Jan snoring, I had no idea that it would be the last night of normalcy that we would ever share.

The next morning when we showed up at the Millennium complex, we were met by several heavily armed guards. I was unsure whether to be impressed or insulted that they felt the need to greet us in such a way. We were also instructed to surrender all weapons before entering as a final precaution.

The Major met us in the main atrium of the building. It was a wide, open space resplendent in white. The furniture, lamps and even the window dressings were completely devoid of color. Not a single piece of art or decoration marred the expansive walls. The decor, or rather lack of, was unnerving to say the least. 

The Major himself was an underwhelming sight and was definitely not of Indian descent as I was led to believe. He was short and heavy set, with a pasty complexion that hadn’t seen the sun in over a decade. Dressed in an expensive looking white suit, his light blond hair was trimmed in an outdated bowl cut and the entire incongruous look was topped off with thin-rimmed, silver glasses. When he spoke, his thick German accent rekindled my concerns over the logo.

“Ah you must be the Valentine Brothers! Willkommen!” He smiled widely causing his piggish eyes to squint behind his square glasses, “I hope that our location wasn’t too far out of your way.”

“You must be the Major.” I extended my hand, “I’ve heard quite a bit about you.”

“All good things I hope.” He said with a firm handshake. His hand was cold and clammy.

“Of course.” I discreetly wiped my hand on my shirt, “So where do we begin?” 

“Ah so you want to get right to it? I like that.” He said heartily, “Come with me, I have someone for you to meet.”

I didn’t think much of it at the time, but it occurred to me that he hadn’t acknowledged my brother at all. Jan didn’t seem to mind since for once he had nothing to say. The guards followed closely behind as we walked down the hall. 

“So Mr. Valentine… may I call you Luke?” The Major continued, “Lucas has told me so much about you.”

“Mr. Valentine is fine.” I replied, “My conversation with Lucas wasn’t all that long, I can’t imagine he gleaned much from it.” 

“Oh we do a lot of research before we make contact with potential business partners.” He said, “One can’t be too careful with investments nowadays.”

Jan spoke for the first time, “Yo, can you really make me and my brother immortal?”

The Major flinched. I honestly think that he forgot Jan was there. He covered quickly with a smile, “We are offering so much more than mere immortality. Our process will practically turn you into gods among men.”

“I like the sound of that shit.” Jan grinned, “So what do we gotta do to become gods?”

“I’d rather have my head scientist discuss that information. He’s far better at it than I am.” He cleared his throat, “He will go over all the details.”

“Can you at least tell us exactly how this immortality process works?” I chimed in, “I have to admit that I do still have some doubts.” 

“All in due time.” The Major replied, “But as far as your doubts… tell me, just how old do you think I am, gentlemen? Be brutally honest.”

I looked at Jan and then back at the short man, “Late thirties?”

“You flatter me, Mr. Valentine. I was at least in my forties when I was given this gift. I’m a little over two hundred years old now.” The Major studied our faces for a moment as we stared incredulously at him. He chuckled, “You don’t believe me?”

I scoffed despite myself, “…well I don’t really see how you can prove it. I mean if its true, you look really good for two hundred.”

The Major sighed, “Oh very well, I suppose you wish a demonstration of my immortality?”

Jan snorted, “How the fuck you gonna prove it, man? You gonna recite the declaration of independence or something?’

I groaned, “Seriously, Jan?”

“WHAT? He said he was old!” He snapped, “That’s like the oldest shit I know!”

The Major’s mouth was set in a firm line. He was clearly not amused. He turned his gaze to me, “Mr. Valentine… your brother still has a gun in his pocket. How about we give that a go.”

"Is this true, Jan?" I was appalled at my brother’s disobedience, “This is no way to inspire trust in our new business partners. Give him the gun, now.”

“Fuck you, Luke! I ain’t giving him nothing!" His eyes flashed with defiance, "How the fuck did he even figure it was a gun… I mean it could have been a candy bar or some shit.”

I grimaced, “Major, you must forgive my brother… I had no idea.”

Jan’s pierced lip was curled in snarl, “You know I don’t like being unarmed! How the fuck was I supposed to know he’d know!”

“It’s fine, gentlemen I didn’t mean to start a quarrel amongst you. I actually have no issue with him retaining his weapon.” The short man chuckled and turned to Jan, “Now… will you do me the honor of shooting me?”

We both looked at the Major like he had completely lost his mind.

“Uh… what the actual fuck dude.” Jan said nervously, “You shittin’ me?”

The Major pointed to the center of his forehead, “Right here if you please. I would have my own men shoot me… but you’d think it a trick.”

Jan looked at me as if asking permission. I was just as bewildered as he was as to what to do.

“I can do it myself if you are afraid to do so.” He held out his hand.

“Bro… should I…”

I sighed and folded my arms, “Just do as he says… he asked for it.”

Jan shrugged and pulled his gun out, “Fuck it.”

My brother then promptly shot the short, blond man directly between his eyes. The sheer force of the bullet snapped the Major’s neck. As he fell to the ground, the two guards on either side of him didn’t even flinch. Jan and I stood there in awkward silence.

“Well fuck. I guess we ain’t getting paid.” Jan said and slid the gun back into his pocket. 

“Yeah it seems that way.” I took off my glasses and began to wipe the blood spatter off the lens, “What a waste of…”

I was cut off by the Major suddenly sitting up. As his head lolled at an unnatural angle behind him, I fought the urge not to scream and flee the room. The Major then reached up and snapped his head back into it’s proper position with a loud crack.

Jan immediately leveled his gun at the revived Major, “MOTHERFUCKING ZOMBIE!”

“JAN, DON’T!” I tackled my brother and tried to wrest the gun out of his hand before he shot the Major a second time. 

There was no sign that the Major had been shot at all except for a small scuff on his forehead where Jan’s bullet had ricocheted. As I watched, he took out his handkerchief and scrubbed at the small burn mark. He chuckled, “Woo, I always forget what a rush it is to get shot like that.”

I managed to disarm Jan and pin his arms behind his back. As my brother continued to struggle, I turned my attention back to the Major, “HOW ARE YOU NOT DEAD?!”

“I told you. I’m immortal.” He calmly straightened his glasses, “I can’t be killed… at least not from something as trivial as a bullet to the head.”

I found it extremely concerning that he referred to a kill shot as trivial, but he had achieved his goal. I was convinced. 

Jan sagged in my arms, “Bro, let me go. I’m not gonna shoot him.”

I released my brother, but I pocketed his gun for safe keeping, “Okay… so are there any catches to this immortality thing?”

“Sometimes my English isn’t so good." The Major stood and dusted himself off, "What do you mean by ‘catches’?”

“Are there any conditions to this procedure?” I clarified, “Or are we free to leave once you make us immortal?”

“Ah now I understand.” His smile never wavered, “You wish me to be completely transparent on what is to happen after your transformation.” 

There was something about the way the word transformation rolled off his tongue that bothered me but I just nodded in reply.

“Well since this is in lieu of payment for the services of your men… It would be unsporting to require anything else of you. So no, there are no conditions.”

“Fuck yeah, I’m gonna be bulletproof!” Jan exclaimed loudly, “Let’s do this shit!”

The Major held up a finger, “However… I do ask that you not reveal your new abilities to anyone outside of Millennium.”

I looked at Jan, “Can you do that?”

“The fuck, Luke?” He feigned a hurt expression, “You know I can keep a secret.”

I gave him a flat look.

Jan huffed, “Fine! I promise I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

“Wunderbar.” The major clapped his chubby hands together, “Now I think we’ve kept my head scientist waiting long enough. Please follow me.”

We continued down the hallway until we reached a reinforced metal door with a retinal scanning pad next to it. The Major removed his glasses and leaned forward for the device to scan his eye. 

As the door slid open, he stepped aside, “After you, gentlemen.”

The room before us was filled with machines of the kind I had never seen before. It was if I had stepped onto the set of some bizarre sci-fi movie. The ominous looking equipment sat poised as if ready to unleash their destructive power at any moment.

In the middle of the room stood a tall man in a lab coat. I was taken aback by the multi-lensed apparatus strapped to his gaunt face. His cropped, blond hair was perfectly parted down the middle of his head. As he turned to our group, the lukewarm smile evaporated from his thin lips. It was clear we weren’t what he was expecting to see. He clutched his clipboard to his spindly chest.

“Herr Major… who are these men?” He said in an even thicker German accent.

“These are the Valentine Brothers we spoke about.” The Major replied. “They’ve agreed to undergo the procedure.” 

The tall man looked at Jan in open disgust, “…Herr Major… did you really approve for this to undergo the procedure?”

If it was one thing that my brother wouldn’t tolerate, it was being looked down upon. He was fully aware that he came across as gutter trash to the majority of people he encountered, so he had developed a kind of hypersensitivity to any perceived slight. I could tell from the gleam in his eye that he was ready to gut the fine doctor where he stood.

“You trying to start something, you fucking nerd?” Jan snarled, “How about I shove that clipboard sideways up that delicate ass of yours?”

The Major quickly stepped between Jan and the man in the lab coat, “Doctor, they insisted on going through the procedure together.” His voice was firm, “Is that going to be a problem?”

“Of course not.” He said tersely, “Please follow me to the preparation room.”

As the tall man turned on his heels and walked off, I could see Jan’s fury threatening to boil over. I gave him a gentle nudge.

“He’s not worth it.” I whispered, “Come on.”

“Whatever.” He muttered and trudged after me, “I think I hate this place.”

The bespectacled man took us into a smaller room with two metal, slab-like hospital beds positioned in the middle of it. The air smelled heavily of disinfectant and another bitter odor I couldn’t identify. 

I marveled at the massive dome like contraption mounted to the ceiling. It emitted a steady metallic hum and had a thousand sharp tipped tubes that reached all the way to the floor. The walls were covered in shelves filled with sinister looking medical instruments and x-rays of bodies in various stages of disorder. 

The Doctor held out two paper gowns, “Please disrobe and put these on. The procedure is quite invasive and messy.”

“What do you mean messy?” I asked, “Don’t we just drink some sort of elixir?”

He laughed, “If only it was that simple. Don’t worry you will be unconscious through the more excruciating parts.”

“Hold up, I don’t like surgery… nah to hell with this.” Jan began to back up, “It’s been real, yo. I’m out.”

A nasty sneer crossed the Doctor’s thin face, “Typical, mongrel behavior.” 

Jan turned on the doctor with murder in his pale eyes. “Wait… what The FUCK did you just call me?”

Unperturbed by the imminent threat of my brother, the Doctor pressed a small button on the wall that connected to the building intercom, “Assistance to ward 4.”

Before either of us could react, the doors behind us burst open and we were surrounded by heavily armed guards. They blocked our exit and motioned us towards the middle of the room with the barrels of their rifles.

“What the hell is this shit!?” Jan screamed as he raised his hands in surrender, “You can’t fucking keep us here!”

“Actually I can.” The doctor smiled, “I’m afraid anyone who knows your whereabouts is currently in our custody. No one is going to come looking for either of you.”

“Your agent said that this procedure is optional!” I interjected, “We’ve changed our mind! We will just take the cash payment!”

Both the Major and the bespectacled doctor laughed. It was a terrible, mirthless sound that made my blood run cold.

A cruel smile crossed the doctor's thin face, “It was optional until the moment you stepped foot onto Millennium property. Now that you are here, I’m afraid you can’t be allowed to leave. You… how do they say… know too much.”

“We don’t know SHIT, man!” Jan screamed, “This is fucked up! What the fuck are you gonna do to us anyway?!”

The Doctor actually responded in a relatively civil manner to my brother. He sighed, “Do calm yourself. I’ve performed this surgery several times and it’s always come out a success.”

I wanted to grab Jan and make a run for it, but I knew we’d be dead before we reached the door. I felt absolutely powerless. Whatever these madmen had in store for my brother and I, there was nothing I could do to stop them.

“Now, please give me your gun.” The doctor said and held out his hand, “It’s actually quite useless against us anyway. You’d only end up harming yourself.”

I hesitated but then I felt the cold muzzle of one of the rifles nudge my ribs. As I placed the gun into his waiting hand I frowned, “Are you going to kill us?”

“Don't be absurd." He pocketed the gun, "As per our agreement, I’m going to make you into better versions of yourselves.” 

"What the fuck does that even mean!?" I could tell from Jan's voice that he was terrified, "Stop with the bullshit already!" 

The doctor regarded him coldly. "I've explained enough. Now please disrobe.”

The Major had situated himself in the corner of the room and was relaxing in a chair. His unwavering stare made the entire situation even more uncomfortable.

Our slight delay in obeying his orders to strip infuriated the already annoyed doctor. He snarled at us, “I said disrobe NOW!”

It is hard to describe the utter dehumanization of being forced to disrobe in front of complete strangers. My brother was actually trembling as he stripped down to his underwear. As ashamed as he was of his body, I knew how devastating this forced exposure was for him. I always tried to assure him that there was nothing wrong with the way he looked, but his mental scars ran too deep. As he stood by my side with his disfigured body on full display for everyone to see, I felt a burning rage inside of my chest for allowing this to happen. 

I tried to be strong for the both of us. But as bitter tears of anguish ran down Jan's face, I knew I had failed him. We stood there shivering with our hands covering what little dignity we had left.

The Doctor threw the paper garments at our feet, " Now put on the robes and get on the tables. We have wasted enough time." 

Jan looked defeated. All of his bluster and bravado had fled and all that was left was a hollow shell of despair. He made no attempt to pick up the robe at his feet so I picked it up for him. As I helped him slip it on, he refused to make eye contact. 

"I'm so sorry, brother... for all of this..." I whispered, "We're going to be ok."

My brother didn't respond. He was beyond words at that moment. 

The steel hospital cots were icy and unforgiving. For all of the protection the paper gowns gave our skin, we could have just gone without. As soon as we were fully reclined on the cots, automatic wrist restraints snapped into place. Jan didn’t struggle. I knew that he was willing his mind to another place to calm himself. 

As I resigned myself to my fate, the doctor walked over to my bedside. There was a large syringe in his hand. His malice was almost tangible as he smiled down at me. 

“All will be over soon, Mr. Valentine. Just think happy thoughts.”

The last thing I remember before the darkness consumed me was the searing pain of the needle tearing into my neck.


	3. The New Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Jan awake to find themselves as vampires and the true purpose of the Millennium organization is finally revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a lime.

My body was cold. The kind of raw, bone wrenching chill that one would experience right before death. My flesh felt strange, almost alien. I knew immediately that something wasn’t right. 

The low, metallic hum in the room had been dialed up to an ear piercing shriek. I managed to pry my eyes open only to be blinded by the glare of the fluorescent lights. A wave of nausea rushed over me, triggered by the painful combination of bright lights and mind numbing noise. 

In that moment of sheer agony, my only thought was for the safety of my brother. Jan was the only family I had. I felt overwhelmed with guilt for getting him involved with this madness. I wasn't sure I'd be able to go on if my greed had led to him being harmed in any way. 

The pain was sublime as I forced myself to sit up. I had to cling to the side of the cot to keep from falling to the floor. As my eyes came into focus I realized Jan was only a few feet away from me. He lay sprawled on his back across the cot; completely nude except for the bloodied hospital gown that was ungraciously flung across his nether regions. 

Every step I took towards my brother was excruciating. It was as if every muscle in my body had been violently ripped out and forced back into place incorrectly. I almost collapsed from the pain by the time I finally reached Jan's side. 

Jan looked like a beautiful, dark angel as he lay there lifeless on the slab-like cot. The permanent, semi-smirk that always adorned his pierced lips was gone, replaced by an emotionless line. I felt for a pulse, and his skin was as cold as ice. 

My brother was dead, and I was alone in this fresh hell that I had condemned us to. I sank to my knees with a cry of anguish. My new body refused to produce tears, so my face remained dry as I sobbed silently next to his corpse.

Grief stricken, I contemplated using one of the bladed instruments adorning the walls to end it all. With my brother gone, I had nothing left. As despair and self-pity threatened to consume what was left of my being, I heard a moan from the table.

“…Jan?” My voice cracked, “Jan is that you?”

He groaned as he sat up on the cot. He was obviously just as disoriented as I was when I first awoke. He rubbed his forehead, “Damn… what the fuck happened? My head is all screwed up.”

“Oh my god, Jan!” I exclaimed and embraced him so tightly that he actually made a tiny squeak. I didn't ever want to let him go again, “I thought you were dead!"

“You’re crushing me, bro!” He said and broke free of my grip, “Why the hell did you think I was dead?"

“You weren’t breathing...” It took all of my willpower to keep from hugging him again, "I really thought I’d lost you.”

“I’m fine, bro.” He shivered and rubbed his bare arms, "Damn, It’s cold as balls in here. You seen my clothes?”

For the first time I noticed how much my brother's appearance had changed. His bold tattoos had faded, and his skin was several shades lighter. The soft brown eyes I had grown to love had been transformed into smoldering, amber orbs. 

Jan noticed my concerned expression and sneered, revealing two dagger like fangs, "The hell is that look for, Luke? You look like you seen a ghost."

"… Are you sure you’re feeling okay?"

“Jesus, you worry too much, I feel…” Jan’s tongue suddenly grazed against his sharpened teeth, "HOLY FUCK... dude, do I have fangs now?"

I reached out and touched his forehead with the back of my hand, it was still as cold as the grave. He swatted my hand away.

“Knock it off, Luke! I told you I’m fine!” 

“Jan you’re still not breathing! And you’re cold… I don’t know what the hell they did but…”

“How the fuck am I not breathing if I’m talking! Quit making a big deal out of nothing!” He hopped off the table and wrapped his tattered robe around his body, “Where the fuck are my clothes!?”

“I’m not making a big deal out of nothing!” My head was spinning, “You have FANGS Jan!”

“So do you bro.” He grinned. 

My hands flew to my mouth at his words. I stifled a scream as I confirmed the new razor sharp protrusions where my normal teeth used to be.

“You seriously didn’t notice?” He laughed wildly, “Your fangs are bigger than mine!”

Still clutching my hands over my mouth, I frantically looked around the room for the nearest reflective surface. Upon finding a mirror, I recoiled in horror at the creature I saw reflected there. 

It was like looking at a warped parody of myself. With bloodless, porcelain skin and phosphorescent blue eyes that glowed in the low light, my dark blond hair had faded and was now almost as white as my face. The gossamer strands hung halfway to the floor. I was an abomination.

“Oh god… what have they done to my FACE?!” I screamed, “I’m hideous!”

“Calm down, Luke.” I felt Jan’s arms slither around my waist as he gently kissed me between my shoulders, “You’re still super hot.” 

“Jan, stop it!” I flinched away from him in panic, "We agreed to act like brothers in public!”

Mischief twinkled in his golden eyes, “For fuck’s sake, Luke. It was just a kiss… it’s not like I tried to blow you… yet.”

“What the hell is wrong with you!?" I screamed wild eyed, "How can you even think about THAT right now!?"

He laughed, "Bro, when am I NOT thinking about THAT?”

"Well just keep it in your pants for once.” I slumped against one of the steel tables in the room, “What the hell have I gotten us into? I really fucked up this time.”

Jan rolled his eyes, “Don't beat yourself up, Luke. I thought this immortality thing was a bomb idea too. Honestly it could have turned out worse.”

I was surprised at Jan's words. He wasn't much of a deep thinker, especially when he was consumed by more carnal desires. 

“Do elaborate on how this could be worse.”

He shrugged, “We could be dead.”

“You’re so very insightful, Jan.” I said flatly. 

"Chill the fuck out, Luke. I think our new look is pretty sweet." Jan continued as he admired his wolf-like grin in the mirror, “These fangs look bad ass.”

“Can you please focus?” I snarled in annoyance, "This isn't a joke."

“Who's joking? I haven’t felt this good in years!” He turned his jagged smile on me, “I feel so fucking powerful. Can’t you feel it, Luke? That raw power rushing through your fucking veins? It's no WONDER I have a raging boner right now."

It was my turn to roll my eyes, "You always did have a way with words, brother."

As much as I hated to admit it, Jan was right. This strange, new body was seething with a dark, latent energy. The sheer concentration of power was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. The feeling was almost overwhelming.

"You sure you don't wanna fuck?" Jan's pierced grin was absolutely ghoulish, "We're already almost naked."

“The answer is still no.” I said firmly, "Besides, I'm pretty sure we are being watched."

"Uggggh I forgot how fucking paranoid you are.” He groaned and stalked off swaddled in his tattered robe, “Whatever. Where the hell are our FUCKING clothes?!”

It was then I noticed two parcels sitting on a desk not too far away from our cots. They had been carefully labeled in florid calligraphy. One was addressed to me, and the other to Jan. My glasses were sitting on top of my parcel. I had been so upset earlier, I hadn’t even noticed they were missing.

I unwrapped the paper parcel addressed to me and it revealed a tailored, white suit with matching shoes. The design was disturbingly reminiscent of the one that the Major had worn. As I held it against my body, it looked like a perfect fit.

"Shit, that's fancy." Jan said as he peered over my shoulder, "I guess we ain't getting our clothes back then." 

"Why don't you open yours, brother?” I replied in an openly mocking tone, “Maybe it contains a custom track suit."

"Fuck off, Luke." He hissed and tore into his parcel. The disgruntled look on his face turned to anger as he pulled out a suit almost identical to mine. The only difference was his suit was black on black instead of shades of white.

His lip curled in disgust, “The fuck am I supposed to do with this bougie bullshit!? I don’t wear suits!”

“Just put it on for now.” I pulled on my pants, “You can change into your regular clothes when we get home.”

“Lookit the motherfucking optimist.” Jan yanked his suit coat around his lean body, “I guarantee our asses are probably company property now. I just hope they don’t make us do really bad shit.”

“We already do 'really bad shit', Jan.” I replied as I admired my new clothing in the mirror. I was pleased to see that the white on white suit actually complemented my new bloodless skin, “Or did you forget what we did to that rival gang last week? They will be scraping that up for weeks.” 

“Fine. Worse really bad shit.” He was undaunted, “And it would be for free because they own us.”

My brother’s words were only increasing my anxiety over the situation. I decided to try to change the subject, “Anyway, I must say you do look very handsome in that suit.”

“Miss me with that bullshit, Luke. You already said we weren't gonna fuck.” He spat, “I swear to god I feel like I’m going to a shitty costume party when I wear crap like this.”

My additional words of flattery died on my lips as I turned just in time to see Jan roughly yanking at his crotch of his pants.

“God damn! These pants are tight as shit!” He announced loudly, “Can you die from a wedgie?”

Suddenly the door behind us opened and the doctor walked in. As per usual, he was flanked on either side by heavily armed guards. My brother halted the assault on his ill-fitting pants as soon as they entered the room. The spindly doctor didn’t even bother to hide his distain for Jan this time. He obliged him with a withering look before turning his attention to me.

“Mr. Valentine, I see that the suits were a perfect fit.” He said dryly, “The Major will be pleased.”

“Who the hell took this inseam? These pants are jacked up!” Jan barked as he resumed his attempt to adjust the pants, “Bitch needs to learn how to read a ruler!”

The doctor ignored Jan and continued to talk to me, “Is everything else in working order?”

“Yo nerd! I’m talking to you!” Jan snarled, “The fuck are you gonna do about these pants? I ain't above going pantless!”

It worried me that Jan was further antagonizing our captors, but I was enjoying how uncomfortable he was making the good doctor. 

“We have spare pants in storage.” The doctor finally acknowledged Jan through gritted teeth, “If the pants do NOT fit, we can arrange a replacement.”

"Sweet. Was that so fucking hard to say?" Jan snarled. 

The doctor turned back to me, "Anyway, are you experiencing any pain or dizziness?”

“No there’s no pain or dizziness… but are you going to tell us what the hell you did to us?" I frowned. "I think my brother and I deserve an explanation.”

“I did what I promised I’d do. You are both now immortal.” He replied, “Are you displeased?”

“DISPLEASED?" I couldn’t help but laugh in the face of his maddening calmness, I have FANGS. How the fuck am I supposed to feel about that?!"

A thin blonde eyebrow managed to emerge from behind the multi-lensed device strapped to his face, “I don't understand. Exactly what is the problem?”

“Why the FUCK do I have fangs?" I felt the edge of hysteria creeping into my voice, “You were supposed to turn us into immortals like the Major! The Major doesn’t have fangs!”

"Ah I see. I'm afraid the Major’s words were misleading.” The doctor replied, “You are a different kind of immortal than he is.“

"Damn. How many breeds of immortals you got around here?" Jan asked. 

"Four, actually.” He replied, “You two are of the vampiric kind. Other than the Major, vampires are the highest form of immortal in our ranks.”

My poor, overworked brain couldn’t process the information that it had just been given. The whole concept of vampires was just too farfetched for me to handle at that moment. My mind was flooded with images of old castles and people with bad accents flaunting about in oversized capes. As I struggled with the concept of our new reality, Jan seemed all too willing to accept the doctor’s words.

“No shit? You mean like Dracula?” Jan’s golden eyes danced excitedly, “Hey, can I turn into a bat?”

I turned on my brother with fury in my eyes, “For FUCKS sake, VAMPIRES AREN’T REAL, Jan!”

Jan backed away from me like a dog that had been kicked in the face. As bullish as he was, he treaded carefully when I was in such a mood. 

“Mr. Valentine, both you and your brother died a several days ago.” The doctor said cooly, “It was only through becoming vampires that you are standing here screaming at your brother right now.”

“Wait so you’re sayin’ we’re dead?” My brother was still keeping his distance from me, “How the fuck are we talking then?”

“You are undead.” He continued, “Surely you’ve both noticed a lack of a pulse? The reason why you will never age or die is simply because the dead can’t die.”

I groaned and rubbed my face. I kept hoping that at any moment I'd wake up in my own bed and realize that this had all been just a dreadful nightmare.

“Luke, you gotta admit it makes sense.” Jan said carefully, “I mean why else would we have these sick ass fangs.”

“All I know is I woke up and I look like a monster!” I was on the verge of a mental break, “And now he’s spewing nonsense about us being vampires!”

“Technically you ARE monsters… but you’re also gods among men.” The doctor said with a dry smile, “Mr. Valentine, your brother seems to have come to terms with his new body. Is eternal life really that repellent to you?”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself, “…okay so say we ARE vampires… what exactly does this mean?”

“Well you certainly won’t be turning into bats… that’s just ridiculous.” He said condescendingly, “But as far as what you CAN do, you now possess preternatural strength, speed, and rapid regeneration from just about any wound you obtain.”

“Aw man, so we aren’t bulletproof?” Jan pouted, “The Major being shot in the head is what sold me on this shit.”

“While bullets will not bounce off your chest in a superhero like manner, your rapid healing renders any wounds your receive harmless.” The doctor said flatly.

“I guess I can work with that.” My brother shrugged, “Would have been nice to have the bullet ricochet and hit the dude that shot me though.”

I could almost hear the doctor rolling his eyes behind his spectacles, “Anyway, I must warn you that from now on you will both need to avoid sunlight. Your new skin will burn quite easily… it won’t kill you… but you will regret it.”

“What about churches and crucifixes?” I asked, “And garlic?”

The doctor sighed, “What about them?” 

“I don’t know much about vampires other than what I’ve seen in movies.” I admitted, “Are those the ‘vulnerabilities’ you speak of?”

“This isn’t a movie, Mr. Valentine.” The doctor snapped, “Those weaknesses don’t apply to you. Just try not to get beheaded or set on fire.” 

“Okay okay, last question. So we are legit vampires now, right?” Jan butted in, “Does that mean we gotta feed on virgins and shit? No offense, but I don’t exactly know how to score that kind of ass. Most of my girls are very ‘broken in’ if you know what I mean.”

The doctor adjusted the contraption on his face before speaking again, “Yes, you will need to consume blood to fuel your new bodies… but you can feed on whomever or whatever you please. As long as it’s blood, you’re fine.“

"Fuck yeah." Jan said and licked his fangs. "I'm gonna drain those bitches like Capri-suns."

"Jan, I'd rather you not destroy our valuable inventory." I frowned. "Or did you forget ‘those bitches' are an income source?”

"I ain't gonna kill them, bro. Just gonna take a little nip here and there.“ He ran his tongue over his fangs. "I can be gentle."

I was a little disturbed at how quickly my brother seemed to acclimate to the notion of being a creature of the night. It wasn’t the whole killing part that bothered me, I was just I couldn't imagine myself ripping into someone’s throat with my bare fangs. I doubted I would ever be as thrilled as my brother over this whole vampire thing.

I could tell from his body language that the good doctor had grown tired of our conversation. He looked at his watch, “We have a schedule to keep. If you and your brother will please follow me, the Major would like to see you.” He then turned on his heel and walked out of the room with his two guards in tow. 

I lingered behind. I was still trying to wrap my head around the whole concept of being undead. 

Jan nudged me with his shoulder, “You ok, bro?”

"No, I'm not." I shook my head, "...I really don't think I'll ever be ok again."

"We're gonna be fine." He said and gently stroked my back, "We've survived much worse, right?"

As uncomfortable as I was with public displays of affection, I allowed this small intimacy. Jan’s touch always had a calming effect. 

I took another deep breath, “I wish I was as confident about this as you are.” 

Jan's reply was cut off by the doctor's grating voice yelling from the hallway, "Gentlemen, the Major is waiting! Please make haste!" 

“I’ll be right there if these fuckers try anything.” He whispered and began walking again, “I got your back, bro.”

I managed a small smile as I followed after him, “I know.”

As I walked next to my brother, I tried to look on the bright side of our predicament. I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of drinking blood, or avoiding sunlight for the rest of eternity, but I was willing to make those sacrifices if it meant that Jan and I could be together forever. 

At the end of the hallway was an intricately carved, wooden door that spanned from the floor to the celling. It was the first bit of color that I had seen in the entire building. As we stepped into the room beyond the imposing door, the decor was reminiscent of Russian Constructivism, clad in black, orange and steel gray. Towards the back wall of the room, the Major was seated behind a large, metal desk with guards on either side.

Both Jan and I stopped walking as our eyes fell upon the wall behind the Major. Glaring at us through baleful, black eyes, was a massive, hyper realistic, oil painting of Adolf Hitler. I recall an audible gasp escaping my lips upon being confronted by the illustrated monstrosity.

It's an extremely humbling experience to have your worst fears confirmed in one fell swoop. As I stood there in appalled silence before the framed abomination, it took all my strength not to explode into a screaming fit of rage.

The doctor casually walked to the Major's side and whispered something in his ear. The Major nodded and turned his attention to us once more.

"Welcome back, gentlemen! The suits look marvelous upon you!“ The Major exclaimed with a wide smile, "I'm so pleased the procedure went so well!"

My brother could not tear his eyes away from the portrait on the wall. His face twitched, “…is that Adolf motherfucking Hitler?”

“Oh are you referencing Mein Führer?” The fat, blond man glanced behind him as if seeing the painting for the first time, “Yes it’s a very astounding likeness, don’t you think? I was there when it was painted.”

"FUCK ME!” Jan exclaimed, “I FUCKING KNEW IT!"

Both the Major and the good doctor flinched at Jan’s sudden outburst. Annoyed, the Major raised an eyebrow, "Pardon my ignorance… but what is it that you ‘knew’?"

"I told Luke you were fucking NAZIS!" He was frantic, "SHIT! Does this mean we're Nazis now!?"

"I'm afraid you have me at a loss.” The Major chucked, “Exactly who told you we weren't Nazis?"

"Fuck! I can't even with this shit right now!" Jan screamed and pulled at his hair, "I can't believe we are working for FUCKING Nazis!"

My mouth was dry when I spoke, "Lucas told me it was an Indian swastika."

"Oh did he now? Well that’s a new one!” His eyes danced with amusement behind his glasses, "Then again I did tell him to recruit you by any means possible."

“FUCK THIS!” Jan snarled. “I AIN’T WORKING WITH NO NAZIS!”

“Doctor… if you please?” The Major said with a bored look on his face. “I can’t talk with all of that noise.”

Suddenly my brother convulsed and dropped to the ground with a howl of agony. His entire body spasmed as if being electrocuted from within. Jan began frothing at the mouth as his eyes rolled back in his head. I grabbed him by the shoulders to shake him back to his senses, “JAN! Oh god what’s happening! JAN!”

The Major waved his hand with a chuckle, “That’s enough for now, Doctor. We don’t want to destroy him.”

The sickly sweet smell of charred flesh was thick in the air as my brother went limp in my arms. With a sob, I clutched him tightly to my chest. Again I felt my eyes attempt to tear up but no tears would come. As I rocked back and forth with my comatose brother in my arms, I heard the doctor make a noise of disapproval. 

"Stupid, half-breed, mongrel." The thin doctor hissed, “I’ve been wanting to do that ever since he woke up.”

The Major leaned on his desk and folded his fingers, “Now Mr. Valentine… perhaps you will see to it that your brother shows the proper decorum from this point on, yes?”

I gritted my teeth together with a sob, “What did you do to him?”

"I simply triggered the control devices within his body. They are there as a fail-safe just in case either of you decide to disobey us.” The doctor held up a tiny remote with a sadistic smile, “That was the stun setting.”

Jan groaned in pain in my arms but remained unconscious.

“Your 'brother' should should be grateful that we would even allow a creature of such dubious heritage within our ranks.” The Doctor scoffed, “If it wasn’t for the Major I would have just eliminated him during the procedure.”

“I said that’s enough, Doctor.” The Major said firmly, “Now… Mr. Valentine, let’s talk about your future with Millennium. We have big plans for you and your brother.”

I stared at him incredulously. I was too terrified to speak. 

The Majors eyes softened slightly, “Your brother will be fine, Mr. Valentine.” He assured, “However, for the future you should be aware there is a kill setting.”

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US!?" I choked, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?"

He smiled, "I need generals for my army. I originally just wanted you… but since you insisted on us taking your brother as well, you will both be my generals.”

“I don’t even understand what that means.” I said in a small voice, “Please… just let us go home.”

“I’m afraid that’s out of the question, Mr. Valentine. We’ve invested a lot of money transforming the two of you into vampires.” The Major continued, “While we will allow you to be semi-autonomous, you are now official employees of Millennium. This means that our assignments come before any of your prior engagements.”

I held my brother tighter in a futile attempt to shield him from the Major’s words. In all of his infinite, curse-laden wisdom, Jan had been right about never going home. 

“Now I suppose you’d like to know exactly what you will be in charge of as one of my generals.” The Major pressed an intercom on his desk, “Bring him in.”

I waited with baited breath as the massive wooden doors opened and something not quite human staggered into the room. It was being restrained by a long pole collar device, similar to the type used for wild animals. Immediately the smell of decay permeated the room as it lurched it’s way across the floor. Bits of putrescent flesh fell away from the snarling creature’s mouth as it fought against the metal collar. Its bloodshot eyes brimmed with madness. As it bayed in fury, I realized that I knew this creature.

“Dear god… is that Nathan?” I managed to sputter, “What have you done to him?”

“We are creating an army, Mr. Valentine.” The Major said proudly, “Your Nathan has been turned into a ghoul… a soulless, completely obedient, killing machine, driven only by the need to consume. You are witnessing the future of modern warfare.”

“Why would you do this to him? He… he had a family.” My voice seemed small and very far away, “Oh god did you do this to ALL of my men?”

“Have you seen the world today, Mr. Valentine? I mean really seen it for all that it is?” He purred in his thick German accent, “It’s a wretched place with corruption and disease. It’s a world not fit for the lowliest of mongrels to exist in.”

I noticed that his eyes drifted to Jan as he spoke the word ‘mongrels’, “That’s no reason to do… this. Whatever this is…”

“I have lived long enough to know that the only way to fix this world is by extreme measures. Once I was like you and believed that perhaps all of humanity could be salvaged… but I was simply young and naïve.” His eyes glinted with madness, “The only way that humanity can be saved is by eliminating the troublesome parts and starting over again. The ghouls are the perfect mechanism for this cleansing.”

With every word that escaped the Major’s mouth, I knew that there would be no escape for my brother and I. He intended to keep us until his mad dream was brought to fruition. He stood and began to pace as he continued talking.

“My ghouls were created to be the perfect weapon. Not only are they completely obedient, but anything a ghoul kills, becomes a ghoul.” He said proudly, “Just imagine an entire battalion of troops turning on itself after a single ghoul is released into their camps. My army would increase triple fold... an endless wave of self replenishing monsters loyal only to Millennium.”

I looked at the screeching, lump of flesh that was once a man and shuddered.

“Now imagine releasing an entire army upon the population of London. The chaos would be awe inspiring as every last Londoner was massacred.” He laughed, “Eventually our unholy horde would spread to the entire world.”

"… if everyone is dead… what is the point?”

“The point is power. I can remake this world into a better place once it’s cleansed of all the undesirables.” He chuckled, “I will finally achieve what our great fuhrer failed to do so long ago. A pure, beautiful race of only those who I deem worthy.”

“But you just said the ghouls would kill everyone…”

“Sorry… no. I meant everyone I WANT them to kill.” The Major corrected, “If I tell them to only attack certain people… they will do so. There are some places that will require more finesse, that's where my wolf troops will go in and personally dispatch the riff raff.”

I looked down at Jan and then back at the Major, “…what part do we play in all of this?”

The Major walked over to where Jan and I sat. He kneeled so that he was eye level with me, “As my generals, you will lead my ghouls to glory. They are your men after all.”

My silence encouraged the Major to continue. His voice was tinged with menace, “…or do I need to find new volunteers?”

“No… I mean YES we’ll do it." I blurted out. 

The Major smiled, "Good lad. You two will be the finest generals in my army."

He stood and motioned to the armed guards, “Take them to their quarters. I would like to begin their training tomorrow night. And feed them… they must be famished.”

I felt a surge of panic as the guards roughly yanked Jan out of my arms and hauled him away. They then pulled me to my feet and forced me out the room at gunpoint. As we walked down the hallway, I watched helplessly as my brother was dragged along the floor like a sack of garbage. I wanted to scream at them for mistreating us in this manner but I was too scared of what they might do in return. 

The guards took us down a darkened stairwell to the sub basement of the building. The entire level had been converted into barracks, with at least twenty something living quarters to be seen. As they directed me towards a separate room from the one they were placing Jan in, I lost it. 

All decorum aside, I begged the guards to allow me to stay with Jan. I knew that after all that he had just endured, the last thing he needed was to wake up alone in a strange place. I was so pathetic that eventually they took mercy upon me and granted me permission to stay with my brother at least until he regained consciousness.

The guards rudely threw Jan's body on the bed and then walked out of the room. As soon as I heard the door lock, I rushed to Jan's side. His suit was rumpled and dirty from his mishandling but he seemed to be in one piece. As I stroked his cheek, he groaned and started to wake up. His brow was creased with pain as he tried to move.

“God damn that hurt…” 

I placed my hand on his shoulder, "Easy... try not to move."

“What the fuck did they hit me with…” He groaned, “I thought that fuckwit doctor said we couldn’t feel pain.”

“It would seem they lied about a lot of things.” I replied, “Are you okay?”

“I feel like I was ran over by a god damned bus.” Jan said with a cough, “What’s that face for? Are YOU okay?”

“You were right. About everything.” I shook my head, “I’ve royally fucked us over this time.”

“Come off that pity party bullshit.” He winced as he managed to push himself into a sitting position, “I told you this isn’t all on you. None of this could have happened if I didn’t go along with it.”

“I’m still the one who got us involved.” I insisted, “If I had just declined their offer.”

“Luke, do you REALLY think these fucks would have taken no for an answer?”

I looked away, “Probably not.”

Jan sighed, “So how bad is it?”

“Well the Major is completely insane.”

“Um, no shit. He’s a FUCKING NAZI.” 

“No you don’t understand… he wants to burn London to the ground.” I continued, “As well as any other place that doesn’t fit his ideal of racial purity.”

“Bro, he can’t just BURN London to the ground.” Jan laughed, “I mean he’d need a fucking army to do that shit.”

“He has one.” I said sourly, “That was the real reason he needed our men. He…He turned them into these creatures… I’ve never seen anything so horrible.”

"What kind of creatures?"

“You should have seen it, Jan… You remember Nathan? He didn’t even know who I was.” I shuddered, “The Major called them ghouls. I’ve never seen a more appropriately named creature in my life.”

“That’s still like only twenty dudes, Luke. That’s not really…”

“Every person they bite becomes a ghoul. Do the math, Jan.” I replied, “The icing on the cake is that we have been tasked to oversee this army of heathens as his ‘generals’.” I sighed.

“Dude, I don’t wanna be a fucking NAZI general! What the hell does that even mean?” Jan tilted his head, “You seriously going along with this?”

“We don’t have a choice.” I said, “They’ve installed a kill switch in both of us if we disobey.”

“That’s so fucked up.” Jan shook his head, “Okay… I guess we’re Nazis now. Never thought my brown ass would be a fucking Nazi.”

“We’re not Nazis, Jan…”

“If we’re WORKING for Nazis, that MAKES us Nazis.” He grimaced, “Or do you think just because we are being forced to do it somehow makes that not a thing?”

It was at that moment the door to the room opened and the guard that had given me permission to see Jan stepped in, “Time’s up. Come on.”

“The fuck does that mean?” Jan asked, "Where are you going?"

"We've been assigned separate rooms." I said and stood, “I’ll talk to you in a few hours, brother.”

“We are kind of in the middle of a important conversation!” Jan snarled, “You can’t just fucking leave! Where the fuck are you going anyway?”

I avoided eye contact with Jan as the guard motioned me out of the room. I could tell from his voice he was terrified, “Just get some sleep... I won’t be that far away.”

That night as I lay in my empty bed, alI I could see was the expression of utter abandonment on Jan's face as I left him. I felt a crushing despair as I imagined him alone in his room gripped by his old demons. I closed my eyes and tried to force myself to sleep, but it just felt so unnatural without my brother at my side. As I finally drifted off into a fitful slumber, I hoped that the next day wouldn’t somehow be worse.


	4. Blood Baptism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Jan learn what it truly means to be vampires.

I found it impossible to fall asleep. Despite the luxury of the pure, feather down bed, I just couldn't get comfortable. I tossed and turned as nightmare visions of my brother being tortured streamed through my head. By the time I did finally fall asleep, I was awakened by a loud pounding on my door. The guards had come to collect me for my first round of training exercises.

As I shuffled down the hallway, I couldn’t help but dwell on the fact I was responsible for all of this. It was Sunday, Jan and I would have been relaxing together in our penthouse. My brother would have been sprawled across the couch in his underwear, avidly playing whatever video game was hot that week. I would get so angry when he’d crank up the volume as I was trying to concentrate on bookkeeping. Our arguments were loud, passionate and always ended with us falling asleep in each others arms. Those tender intimacies seemed so distant now. 

The head of the guards knocked on Jan’s door and waited for him to answer. There was a sudden, loud crash from followed by swearing. When Jan finally flung open the door I was taken aback by his unkempt appearance. He hadn’t bothered to change out of his suit before going to bed so it was just as disheveled as his wild mane of hair. He was so out of sorts that he didn’t even offer his crooked smile upon seeing me. 

The guards allowed my brother and I to walk at each other’s side as they escorted us down the hallway. I noticed Jan’s limp almost immediately. I suspected it was residual damage from the doctor’s cruel treatment of him.

“Well you look like shit.” He finally muttered, “I feel like shit so I guess we’re a perfect match right now.”

“Yeah… I didn’t sleep well.” I replied, “Is your leg okay?”

He dismissed my concerns with a grunt, “I just have to walk it off. I thought these fuckers were going to feed us. Did you get any food?”

I shook my head no. I had been trying to ignore my hunger pangs. My stomach was so empty that it actually hurt. I felt as if I could literally devour an entire slab of meat if given a chance. 

Jan snorted, “Damn this place sucks.”

The guards led us through a series of double doors and eventually we ended up in a spacious room that was encircled by a series of containment cells. The Major stood in the middle of the room with the doctor by his side. 

The fat, little, man dressed all in white stepped forward. That maddening smile was smeared across his pasty face, “Mr. Valentine! I hope you slept well! Do you like your room? If not we can move you to a larger one.” 

“The room is fine.” I replied, “Can we at least have breakfast before we start on whatever this is? My brother and I are starving.”

The Major looked surprised, “Starving? Did you not feed last night?”

I shook my head weakly.

“That is not acceptable.” The Major turned to the guards with a snarl, “Incompetent fools! Fetch our guests sustenance, NOW!”

Spurred by the threat of violence in the Major's voice, the guards immediately snapped to attention and ran out of the room. 

Jan whistled, “Damn I didn’t think those fuckers could move that fast.”

The Major’s face actually looked sincere when he spoke, “I’m so terribly sorry about that gentlemen. I assure you this won’t happen again. You are our guests after all.”

I knew that Jan wanted to say something but he quickly humbled himself upon noticing the good doctor watching him. I had never seen my brother truly afraid of anyone and it was upsetting to watch. 

“And it would seem they also didn’t bother to give you a change of clothes.” The Major frowned, “You must think us so very rude. This shall not happen again.”

There was an awkward silence as I wasn’t sure how to reply to the Major’s words. I just wanted all of this to be over. I just wanted to take my brother home and pretend like none of this had ever happened.

“Well while we wait for your meal to arrive, we might as well get started.” The Major clapped his hands together, “Doctor, if you please?”

The Doctor obliged Jan with a thin smile. He was pleased at the discomfort he was causing my brother, “Gentlemen, we got off on a bit of rocky start the other day. Let me officially welcome you to the Millennium family. As you know, you two will be our newest generals.”

Jan shifted his stance. I could tell from the small grunt of pain that just the act of having to stand was extremely painful. I tried to subtlety offer my shoulder for him to lean on but he refused.

The good doctor turned to me, “You will be now known as Stabshauptmann Luke Valentine. You will be in charge of the major duties of supervising the ghoul troops.”

I frowned, “That’s a very big German word… care to translate?”

“It loosely translates to Staff Captain, it’s a rank just below our Major.” The doctor said tersely.

“And what of my brother? Is he also a Staff Captain?”

Acknowledging Jan in any way immediately put the doctor on edge. He repressed a sneer, “Since he is your younger brother… he would retain the rank of Hauptmann and he would be your adjunct Staff Captain.”

I wanted to argue that Jan had a lot more experience with ordering our men around than I did, but I decided to let it drop. At least it sounded as if we’d still be allowed to work together.

“Now, your duties would mainly consist of organizing and executing attacks on pre-determined locations. You will make sure that the Ghouls get to their proper locations so that all of our attacks run smoothly.”

“So we’re glorified babysitters?” Jan finally spoke.

The Doctor grimaced, “That’s somewhat of an oversimplification. Ghouls are but a blunt object. If they run into more intelligent opposition, you and your brother will need to intervene. Don’t worry you will be well armed.”

“Okay, I can get behind that.” Jan folded his arms, “So what the fuck is a ghoul?”

“Please follow me.”

The doctor crossed the room to where one of the many cells were located. As we followed him to the cell, he knocked briskly on the thick Plexiglas, “Awake, beast.”

Almost instantly, the creature within slammed itself against the Plexiglas as it attempted to maul the doctor. Like Nathan, it was nothing more than a diabolically reanimated, mass of rotting flesh. It’s snarling, snaggletoothed mouth scraped ineffectively at the Plexiglas as its clouded eyes bulged dangerously from pus filled sockets. This particular ghoul was so deteriorated that I couldn't identify him at all. 

I shrank back from the appalling display in disgust, but once again Jan's reaction eclipsed mine. He had never seen a ghoul until that very moment.

“The FUCK is that shit?!” He yelled and jumped back, “Is that a fucking werewolf?!”

The good doctor regarded Jan with the same demeaning candor one would an errant dog, “…they are not werewolves. These are vampires. They are not as advanced as you and your brother, but they were created in much the same manner. You have to excuse his… voracious behavior at the moment. Like you, he has not yet been fed."

"He's fucking ROTTING!" Jan's eyes were wide with panic, "Are we going to end up like that!?"

The doctor took a deep breath. I could tell he was thinking about triggering Jan's control device again, "Ghouls are made to be disposable. They aren't meant to last, hence the rot. They have one purpose, to spread infection and chaos. They generally only last a month or so at best before they crumble into mush. As I said previously, you and your brother are immortal. You literally can't rot."

"Ok cool." Jan breathed a sigh of relief, "So why the fuck is that thing gonna obey me and Luke? It's eyeing us up like a god damned Big Mac!"

"Ghouls are naturally loyal to whoever creates them. This loyalty is conveniently passed down through each new generation of ghoul.” The doctor explained, “Their loyalty is stronger to me and the Major, but they should obey you by default since you were all technically created from the same blood.”

“What do you mean ‘should’?” I asked.

A wicked smile crossed his thin face, “Well you are the FIRST of our vampire generals. We haven’t been able to test their loyalty until now.”

Before I was able to object, the good doctor pressed a button on the side of the enclosure and loosed the slavering beast upon us. I shielded my brother with my body and braced for the worst kind of death. 

"Command it, Mr Valentine." The doctor said in a bored tone.

My legs were frozen to the spot as the ghoul barreled down upon us. I felt it's fetid breath on my face before I finally managed to find my voice, “STOP! I COMMAND YOU TO STOP!”

The creature froze, mid lunge with jaws agape. As the putrid monstrosity stood statuesque before us, I was certain that if my heart still beat, it would have stopped from fear. As I carefully backed away from the ghoul, I heard a slow, steady clapping.

“Wunderbar! Simply wunderbar!” The Major cheered, “Well done, Mr. Valentine!”

I was already dizzy from lack of food, and now this brush with the grotesque was just too much. My knees gave out and I slipped backwards into Jan's arms, “…Jesus fucking christ…” 

“Are you okay, Mr. Valentine?” The doctor said amused, “Did you need a moment?”

Jan helped me to my feet. I could tell that he was just as bothered by the cruel, impromptu experiment, but he was trying to remain composed in the face of the doctor’s mocking.

“I’m fine…” I said bitterly, “Are they all going to attack us like that?”

“As long as they are fed, probably not.”

"Who the fuck is in charge of feeding them?" Jan snarled, "I'd hope it's not the same jackasses that we're supposed to feed us."

“Temper, Temper.” The doctor chided, “The ghouls are perfectly capable of feeding themselves once they are in battle. It's only when they are confined like this that they require extra attention." He casually turned his attention to the petrified ghoul, "Return to your cage."

Jan and I watched in shock as the ghoul promptly turned on it’s heel and obediently lumbered back into it’s enclosure. 

"YOU COULD HAVE DONE THAT AT ANY TIME?" I yelled, "What if I didn't say stop?!"

The doctor secured the plexiglas door once more, "I had faith in you, Mr Valentine. Believe me, if I really thought you or your brother were in danger, I'd have intervened."

I was beside myself with anger but before I could say another word, the door behind us opened and a small cluster of bedraggled looking strangers were ushered into the room at gunpoint. They were were bound, gagged and their tattered bodies were covered in fresh bruises. The terrified group of men and women were forced to their knees a few feet away from my brother and I. 

The Major smiled proudly at me, "Well gentlemen, do you see anything you like?" He purred and gestured to the trembling prisoners, "Pick whichever one you please."

Jan spoke what I was thinking, "uh... what are we supposed to do with them?"

"This is the meal you were promised." The Major said with the same horrible smile, "I thought I should give you a choice in your very first victim.”

As I looked at the gathered people kneeling before me, I felt a knot form in my throat as the full meaning of the Major's words became clear. We were being ordered to massacre these people. 

I had killed so many in my thirty some years, but at least all of my previous victims had earned their fate. These prisoners were innocent. Their only sin was to have fallen prey to the wretched tendrils of the Millennium Organization. If anything, I empathized with them. Like Jan an I, they were just casualties of the Major’s mechanisms.

The gathered group made small noises of alarm as my eyes passed over each of them. They knew that their only purpose was to satiate my unholy thirst. My senses were so heightened that I could actually hear the blood pumping through their veins. As they cowered beneath my gaze, I turned to the Major.

“You can’t be serious…” I frowned, "Do you really expect me and my brother to just savage these people like a pair of wild beasts?"

"You must feed, Mr. Valentine.” The doctor stepped forward, “I won’t have my most valuable creations wasting away. If you wish, I can sedate them if it would make this easier for you.”

My stomach gave a slight lurch at the idea of consuming blood. I looked at my brother and was disturbed that he actually seemed to be holding himself back. There was a wildness in his eyes that I had never seen before.

I cleared my throat, “That won’t be necessary… um… so what will become of the rest of them? Will they be set free?”

The Major gave a hearty laugh, “Mr. Valentine, do not feel sympathy for these people. They were fated to die. Until we decided to give them to you, they were scheduled to be fed to the ghouls. Believe me, this is a far kinder fate.” 

“You wish us to rip out their throats like animals… I don’t see how that’s a kinder fate.” I replied.

The good doctor walked over and placed his hand on the head of one of the kneeling prisoners. With his dark features and wide brown eyes, the poor unfortunate soul reminded me a little of Jan if he had led a healthier lifestyle. The man’s face was a mask of fear as he endured the Doctor running his spindly fingers through his hair, “A quick death is always a more merciful one, Mr. Valentine. The ghouls have a bad habit of playing with their food.”

The man locked eyes with me as if pleading for me to do something. I knew that what the doctor said was true. I could only imagine how messy a death being eaten by a ghoul would be. A tear streamed down his handsome, brown face as he realized that there was nothing I could do to help him.

“Hmn… is this one to your liking, Mr. Valentine?” The doctor purred. “He does seem like your type.” 

I broke eye contact with the man, “Wait… no…”

The multi-lensed contraption on the good doctor’s face gleamed with menace, “Perhaps you just require a little motivation.”

As if by some perverse magic, a scalpel materialized in the doctor’s hand and he deftly sliced through the bound man’s cheek clean to the bone. The man screamed in agony as blood gushed forward from his flayed face. 

As the wounded man collapsed to the floor and began to go into shock, the other prisoners attempted to move away from the growing puddle of blood, but the guards held them in place at gunpoint. 

The doctor took a casual step back to avoid getting blood on his shoes.  
There was nothing but contempt in his voice when he spoke, “Such a nasty wound, at least it won’t get infected.”

There was just so much blood. It made me sick when I realized that it was taking every ounce of strength I had not to fall upon the dying creature and lap up the red wetness like a dog. I looked at Jan and saw that his lips were actually salivating as he stared mesmerized at the shredded flesh before us. 

My senses were overcome with desire as the metallic smell of fresh viscera filled the air. I couldn’t hold back any longer. With a feral snarl, I fell upon the dying man and tore into his warm flesh. It was sheer ecstasy as the warm fluid flowed down my throat. The blood wasn’t enough. I dug my sharp nails into his soft skin and began to tear him apart to get at the sweet meat within. I could hear myself moan as I devoured his beautiful flesh. 

Jan managed to hold out longer than I, but not for much longer. A blood curdling shriek indicated that he too had chosen his victim. I turned just in time to see him tearing out her throat with his bare teeth.

The sound of Jan’s maniacal laugh shook me from my maddened state. As my eyes came into focus, I was absolutely sickened by the carnage that surrounded me. The pathetic remains of my victim lay in jagged pieces around me. His body was so absolutely ruined that I couldn’t tell his leg from his torso. There were chunks of flesh and brain matter all over my clothing. I looked down at my gore-encrusted hands and began to scream.

My brother looked up from his victim, his pierced face a mask of red, “You okay bro?”

“…what have I done… WHAT HAVE I DONE?!” I yelled at no one at all, “Oh god what have I done?!”

Jan reached for me but I flinched away in horror. He was a grotesquerie, even more covered in gore than I was, “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!”

As I sat amongst the remains of my victim I knew my entire world had been shattered. Not only did I indulge in the brutal death of an innocent, but I had enjoyed every second of it. Just the memory of tearing into the man’s supple flesh left me reeling in ecstasy. I felt loathsome, evil and tarnished beyond redemption. I had truly become something vile. 

The Major kneeled down just outside of the bloodied area. He was being careful to not ruin his suit with the remains of my meal.

“Mr. Valentine, please calm yourself. You did very well.” He said in a strangely soothing voice, “I assure you that your next time won’t be as jarring.” 

“I don’t want there to be a next time if it’s like this! Look what I did to him!” I gestured to the chunks of flesh, “I’m a fucking monster!”

The Major turned to Jan who was keeping his distance from me, “Jan, do you think you can speak to your brother? It seems that you are taking this far better than he.”

“…um… he’s kind of in a mood right now.” Jan said carefully, “Maybe he just needs some air.”

“Perhaps that is enough training for today.” The Major sighed and stood, “Those suits will have to be burned. I’ll have a new set of suits delivered to you after you get cleaned up.”

The Major waved to the guards, “Take them to the showers.”

Jan tried to help me stand but I swatted his hand away and stood on my own. For the first time in years, I didn’t want to be anywhere near my brother. It was then that I noticed the unholy howling that had filled the room. Every single containment unit on the surrounding walls had a ghoul attempting to smash it’s way through the plexiglass. The smell of blood was driving the rotting creatures absolutely mad with hunger. I repressed a shudder as we were guided out of the room.

As Jan walked at my side, there was not a trace of regret as he casually tried to cajole me into small talk. His eyes gleamed as he ran his tongue over his sharp teeth. I wasn't sure how to convey my utter revulsion in being in his company. As much as I loved him, I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to see him in the same light again.

I was surprised the guards actually allowed my brother and I to be alone in the showers. They lingered only long enough for us to hand them our soiled clothes and then they left us to wash up. I wanted to be happy to finally be alone with my brother, but I just couldn’t erase the image of Jan savaging his victim from my mind. The image of Jan peeling the skin off of her face with his teeth was the most ghoulish thing I had ever witnessed. 

I knew I was being an hypocrite, I had desecrated my victim just as thoroughly as he had, but somehow being a spectator to such atrocities made it so much worse. At least I hadn't laughed as my victim suffered. 

Each shower stall was separated by a chest high barrier. As I stepped into my stall, Jan leaned over the top of his wall. His twisted, pierced face looked surprisingly thoughtful. 

He smoothed his wet hair off of his forehead, “So you feeling okay, bro? You seem kind of pissed off.” 

“I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“Okay so when the hell are we gonna talk about it? Or did you forget they put us in separate rooms?” Jan frowned, “Are you mad at me?”

“…it’s far more complicated than that.” I turned the shower head on full blast and began to scrub at my soiled hair, “Just let me shower in peace.”

“So you ARE mad at me.” He grimaced, “What the fuck did I do now?”

I closed my eyes as the warm water ran over my face, “Nothing that you would understand.”

“Stop being all cryptic and shit!” He said angrily, “If I did something wrong, just fucking tell me!”

"Fine." I heaved a huge sigh, “Look… we tore those people apart with our bare hands. I can’t just shrug and move on after that kind of brutality. I know it doesn't bother you in the least, but it’s a first for me.”

“I couldn’t control myself any more than you could!” Jan said wild eyed, “Everything just kind of happened! You’re seriously all pissy because we killed some people that were gonna die anyway?”

“We didn’t just KILL them, Jan. We destroyed them.” I frowned, “And you don’t seem to see anything wrong with that.”

“We kill people all the time, Luke! Yeah this was a bit more messy but…”

“I watched you eat a woman’s face, Jan." I reluctantly made eye contact, "Do you know how horrible of an image that is to have burned in my mind? I honestly don’t think I can ever look at you the same way again.”

Jan stared at me in shocked silence.

“See, I told you that you wouldn’t understand.” I replied.

“Are you FUCKING kidding me?” His nostrils flared with anger, “YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME.”

“Lower your voice, Jan.” I hissed, “You’re going to attract the guards.”

“No, fuck that!” He snarled, “You literally beheaded your dude! Don’t try to make it sound like I’m the ONLY one that did some fucked up shit!”

“I didn’t enjoy it.” I lied.

“I’M CALLING BULLSHIT. You had your fucking sex face on as you tore into that guy!” Jan bared his fangs, “Are you gonna stand here and tell me you weren’t in some fucking nirvana when you were draining him dry?”

“That’s not even the correct use of that word.”

“I don’t give a fuck! You’re being a real asshole right now, Luke!” His eyes glowed with fury, “Whether you like it or not, we’re BOTH god damned monsters. I’m sorry if that offends your delicate sensibilities.”

“We don’t have to behave like monsters. Personally, I’m not going to let that happen again.” I replied calmly, “If we don’t let ourselves get that hungry we should be able to control this blood lust a bit more.”

Jan laughed wildly, “You gonna make a meal plan for us or some shit?” He mocked and began to list off on his fingers, “Lemme see… Blondes on Monday, Brunettes on Tuesday…etc, etc? Does that sound about right, bro?” 

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the showerhead, “If you’re not going to take me seriously, this conversation is over.”

“Why the hell should I take you seriously?” He snarled, “You’re being nothing but a fucking bitch right now!”

“I’m not being a bitch.” I began to scrub at my hair again, “I’m just not used to acting like an animal.”

I immediately regretted my choice of words. The expression on my brother's face shifted seamlessly from devastation to seething rage.

“Are you calling me a fucking ANIMAL?!" He yelled loud enough for god himself to hear. "If that ain’t some pot calling the kettle black bullshit, I don’t know what is!”

I lowered my voice as a cue for Jan to lower his, “That’s not what I meant.”

“You know what… Fuck you, Luke!” He snarled and backed away from the wall. His leg still was behaving badly and he stumbled, “I’m done with this shit! You can just stay pissed off with me!”

“Jan… don’t be like that.” I sighed, “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“I have had the WORST fucking three days! And now my own brother just called me a god damned animal!” He leaned against the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the floor, “I’m so done with this shit!”

All of my feelings of revulsion began to fade upon hearing the utter despair in Jan’s voice. I couldn’t help but feel bad for daring to judge him for something that he had no control over. I stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel to wrap myself in. I wasn’t as clean as I wanted to be, but at least my face and hair were free of blood. 

Jan was sitting towards the back of the stall with his knees curled up to his chest. His eyes glowed like fire through the transparent cords of water streaming from the shower head. 

I leaned against the outside of the shower, “Brother… I’m just a little stressed right now. You know sometimes I say things I don’t mean when I’m like this.”

“Or maybe it was a forty inch slip.”

“…that’s Freudian… anyway that’s not what it was. I’d never think you were an animal.” I wrung my hands together, “I’m just scared of losing control again… and it bothered me that you just seemed to completely embrace it.”

“What else am I supposed to do? You said if we don’t go along with this shit, they’ll kill us.” He muttered, “They’d probably torture me. That sick fuck of a doctor looks like the type that would get off on seeing me squirm.”

“Jan… all I was trying to say is we can’t just go around tearing people apart.” I continued, “We have options. Perhaps we could just invite a few of your girls over and drug them... no one has to die.”

“Oh fuck off, Luke.” He looked away, “I’ve always suspected you thought you were better than me anyway. If you don’t want nothing to do with me anymore, fine. Just stop bullshitting around it.”

“I’m not saying that at all, Jan. Would you just listen to me…”

“GO FUCK YOURSELF, LUKE.” He struggled to get to his feet and pushed me out of the way, “You and your condescending bullshit can go straight to hell.”

"Brother..." 

"Don't 'brother' me." He snarled as he furiously toweled off before wrapping the towel around himself, “Fuck you, fuck the Major and Fuck that fucking doctor! Every one of you bastards can go circle jerk as far as I care! I told you I’m done with this shit!”

“Damn it, Jan, I SAID STOP.”

The tone in my voice made Jan flinch. He turned on me with his weird eyes. There was nothing but distain in those golden orbs, “Why? You wanna insult me again?”

I walked to Jan’s side. He was a little shorter than me so he had to look up to meet my gaze. Even beneath his rage, I could see that he was just extremely hurt over the fact I didn’t seem to be on his side anymore.

“Can we just start over?” I asked, “Just ignore everything I said… I seem to have a terrible habit of making a bad situation worse with my words sometimes.”

“So now you’re cool with what we did?” He snorted disdainfully.

“I didn’t say that. I think we can still work on our… people skills.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I ain't never had good people skills.” Jan snarled, “Fuck yeah I enjoyed killing that bitch. I was hard the entire time. What do you think of that, brother?”

I knew my brother was just trying to drive the wedge as far as it could go between us. I refused to take the bait and cleared my throat.

“Jan I’ve already apologized.” I replied, “I’m not sure what else you want from me.”

“That wasn’t an apology. It sounded like more of your fucking double talk.” Jan hissed, “Go ahead and say how disappointed you are in me. Just fucking do it.”

“Why would I even go there? Like you said, we BOTH did ‘some fucked up shit’ a while ago.” I frowned, “I had no right to judge you on your actions.” 

“Whatever.” He shook his head and looked away, “Everything is so messed up… I was so stoked to finally have some alone time with you and now this shit happens. I don’t even want to be here right now.”

“Jan I didn’t mean to make you feel like this… you’re the last person in this world I’d want to lose.” I gently placed my hand on his arm, “Sometimes I forget that we are allies in this mess.”

Jan scowled at my hand as if it was a poisonous snake but didn’t shake it away.

“I’m just trying to adjust to all of this.” I said softly and lightly traced the tattoos on his arm, “And you’re right, I was being kind of a bitch.”

That familiar, crooked smile crossed his face again, “Did you just call yourself a bitch?”

“I’m simply agreeing with your assessment of my behavior." I moved closer to him so that we were only a few inches apart, "So… did I really make my ‘sex face’ when I killed that man?”

"Maybe." He pulled me tightly against his body, “But perhaps you should remind me what it looks like.”

It felt so good to be in his arms again. I moaned slightly as he began to kiss my neck. It wasn’t until I felt his fingers sliding beneath my towel that I realized the risk we were about to take. Frantically, I pushed away from him and took several steps back.

He stared at me in frustrated bewilderment, “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, LUKE?!”

“We can’t do this… it’s too dangerous.” I said and tightened my towel, “If the guards walked in….”

“Fuck those guards!” He snarled, “Jesus fucking Christ, Luke! You can’t do this shit to me again!”

"I know," I took a deep breath, “Shit… I fucking hate this.”

“YOU hate this? I’m the one with blue balls over here!” Jan said and crassly indicated his towel, “Come on, bro. I’ll make it quick, I promise.”

“Jan… we’re working for god damned Nazis.” I said quietly, “I know you didn’t pay attention in primary school, but in general Nazis don’t abide people like us. If they ever suspected that we were more than brothers... or god forbid caught us in the act…”

He groaned theatrically, “So we have to actually be JUST brothers?”

“For now.” I replied, “I don’t like this any more than you do.”

“Fucking Nazis… This is such bullshit.”

I took a tentative step towards Jan, “They’ve already shown they don’t care for your presence. What do you think they’d do to you if they saw us together?”

“I dunno… it might be worth it.” He shrugged, “Go out with a bang and all.”

“Please be serious for a moment, Jan.” I huffed, “I don't want to risk you getting hurt again over carelessness. At least we are still together, even if it’s not the way we’d like to be.”

Jan stared at me for a few moments before leaning upwards to kiss me lightly on the lips. He traced my jaw with his finger, “I’m warning you now…you’re gonna have one HELL of a rain check to cash when this is over.”

“I’m looking forward to that.” I replied with a smile.

“I guess we should get dressed.” He sighed and turned away from me, “I’m sure the Major and doctor dickweed have more training to throw at us.”

“I'm going to shower off a bit more.” I said, “I did get interrupted after all.”

He ran his tongue over his fangs with a leer, “Not as ‘interrupted’ as you could have been.” 

I was about to reply when the door behind us opened and one of the guards barged into the room, “The Major is ready to recommence training. We have your clean clothes.”

Both Jan and I froze. If the guard had opened the door a moment sooner, he would have caught us in a very unbrotherly like embrace. I took a unsteady step away from Jan and cleared my throat, “Yes, that's fine. Just place our clothes on that bench over there.”

The guard grunted and lurched across the room with two wrapped parcels. I couldn't help but think of how much of a waste it was to wrap our clothing every single time. As soon as the guard left, I turned to Jan. He still looked shaken.

“Shit… If we had…”

“Yeah.” I walked over and began to unwrap the parcel with my name on it, “Its fine. We stopped in time.”

Jan sighed and picked up his parcel. He turned over in his hands with a look of distain, “So what are the odds this isn’t another fucking suit?”

I held up a suit that was identical to the one that I had been gifted earlier, “It would seem the Major likes his generals dressed a certain way.”

“Fuck.”

We were eventually taken back to the room where the ghouls were being kept. The Major looked annoyed, but he was discreet enough not to interrogate us as to what we were doing that took over an hour.

Training with the ghouls was a grueling ordeal. Not only did they smell atrocious, but sometimes the orders had to be yelled several times before they would obey. Jan was something of a natural at bossing the repulsive creatures about. I honestly believe that it was because he could bellow louder than I could.

At the end of the day, Jan and I were returned to our separate rooms. The guards wouldn’t allow us to spend any time together despite my pleas.

As I sat alone in my room, I reflected on my brief encounter with Jan in the showers. I could still feel his strong arms encircling me; the slight tang of blood on his soft lips. I knew that those small intimacies would be few and far between now that we were under the watchful eye of Millennium. 

I gave my brother false hope when I told him this was only for a short while. That perhaps we would eventually be able to return to our normal lives at some point. I knew it was a lie even as the words left my mouth. The reach of the Millennium Organization was sempiternal. They had no intention of ever loosing the reins on their most valuable assets.


End file.
